Xbox players in the UK now need to verify their age

winjer

winjer

Member

Microsoft has announced new age verification requirements in order to comply with the UK's recently introduced Online Safety Act.
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So, from today, players located in the UK who indicate they're 18 or over will need to carry out a one-time age verification process to continue to receive unrestricted access to those social features.

Notably, users have until the start of 2026 to do so, and can continue to use the services as before until then.
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"Beginning today, as part of our compliance program for the UK Online Safety Act and our ongoing investments in tools and technologies that help ensure age-appropriate experiences, players who indicate their account age as 18 and over, based in the UK, and signing into an Xbox experience with a Microsoft account will begin seeing notifications encouraging them to verify their age.

This one-time process for players in the UK ensures we can continue to provide all players on our platform with age-appropriate experiences.

Players who don't verify their age between now and early 2026 can continue to play and enjoy Xbox. However, starting early next year, their use of social features on Xbox will become limited to friends only until they complete the age verification process."
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Now the question is how long until Sony, Steam, Epic, Nintendo and other gaming companies do the same thing.
As someone who grew up using internet since the 90s, it's really sad to see it become a pit for regulation, government control and thought police.
 
For a second I thought this was to prevent people from using Sam Porter Bridges' face for verification on porn sites, but it's Xbox so it's unrelated, but eventually you'll need to verify people on any digital device (phone, tablet, PC, console) to make sure they can't access porn or social features if they are underage. 2030 will look very different from today, I bet.
 
I have already done this, if Microsoft tell me todo it I know its for the greater good. I have also done it for my favourite porn sites aswell. Up the UK, big up England the greatest country in the world 🔴⚪️💪.
 
Before we start on "UK sucks", "UK is a failed state", etc.

Xbox has said they're going to be looking at ways to bring this to other regions.

Article:
As this age verification process rolls out across the UK, we'll continue to evaluate how we can keep players around the world safe and learn from the UK process. We expect to roll out age verification processes to more regions in the future.
 
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Yoti is at least a proper company, they work directly with uk government for citizen iD cards etc

also this isnt just xbox, sony and nintendo will both have to do the same.
 
Loomy said:
Before we start on "UK sucks", "UK is a failed state", etc.

Xbox has said they're going to be looking at ways to bring this to other regions.

Article:
As this age verification process rolls out across the UK, we'll continue to evaluate how we can keep players around the world safe and learn from the UK process. We expect to roll out age verification processes to more regions in the future.
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They haven't done shit to stop spam people are getting through the messages system and now they're concerned? Bitch please, don't try to pretend that you care about "keeping players safe".
 
Can't they just all use pics of Boomstick, Destin, Ryan McCaffery, King David, and Hargeet Chani and call it a day? That's basically your Xbox demographic right there at this point: middle-aged delusional fanboys still fighting the good fight like it's 2005.
 
Loomy said:
Before we start on "UK sucks", "UK is a failed state", etc.

Xbox has said they're going to be looking at ways to bring this to other regions.

Article:
As this age verification process rolls out across the UK, we'll continue to evaluate how we can keep players around the world safe and learn from the UK process. We expect to roll out age verification processes to more regions in the future.
Click to expand...

They'll have to, the EU is going to start a pilot with an age verification app in a couple of countries next year. This is going to hit: UK, EU, Australia, US ...
 
Loomy said:
Before we start on "UK sucks", "UK is a failed state", etc.

Xbox has said they're going to be looking at ways to bring this to other regions.

Article:
As this age verification process rolls out across the UK, we'll continue to evaluate how we can keep players around the world safe and learn from the UK process. We expect to roll out age verification processes to more regions in the future.
Click to expand...

The UK sucking ass and being a failed totalitarian state isn't mitigated by Microsoft bringing this to other regions.
 
Mr Moose said:
I'm good with no social features, thanks.
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My first thought as well - being able to buy and play single player games without getting spammed with weird social shit all the time sounds like a dream.
 
Always thought UK and Australia were experimental test beds to see how much oppressive bullshit the Western mind can take before they outright revolt.
 
I think Covid literally sent everyone bat shit crazy in the UK I just don't know what the fuck is going on.

Like 28 days later where rest of the world is carrying on but we are in lockdown.

It's like kier stalin is playing the sims to see just how far he can push us. It's like a social experiment gone horribly wrong.
 
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Windle Poons said:
I think Covid literally sent everyone bat shit crazy in the UK I just don't know what the fuck is going on.

Like 28 days later where rest of the world is carrying on but we are in lockdown.

It's like kier stalin is playing the sims to see just how far he can push us. It's like a social experiment gone horribly wrong.
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I'm not sure why people think this is odd or some new thing. I grew up with the Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles, Enter the Dragon with no nunchuk fights and only playboy level porn if it wasnt snuck in from other countries.
 
Windle Poons said:
I think Covid literally sent everyone bat shit crazy in the UK I just don't know what the fuck is going on.

Like 28 days later where rest of the world is carrying on but we are in lockdown.
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If we wern't in lockdown it would of been more difficult for MP's to get to the No.10 after parties in their Jags.
 
Part of me really just wants to get big enough storage on all my consoles to download whatever digital shit I happened to get...and then unplug the internet. See how long that shit will last, because I am just so tired. If this comes to the US and they wanna try forcing me to do something like this to even use my account again, I'd be pissed.
 
This is bad news all around.

Eventually all we will have is vpn bootleg websites for PC games, or playing classic offline mode gaming.

While I have no issue giving up my details to these companies I also don't think it's necessary. Policing kids is up to parents. I do think the developers of specific games needs to be far more involved and intelligent too like how much of an unsafe jungle a game like Roblox is for your kid.

Slippery slope and I'm not going to engage if it ever does come to it.
 
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